City of Waterloo - We Are Waterloo brochure

The City of Waterloo is a community of choice to live, work, learn and play. The strength of our city lies within the pillars of our economic vitality: technology, knowledge and education, finance and
…

The City of Waterloo is a community of choice to live, work, learn and play. The strength of our city lies within the pillars of our economic vitality: technology, knowledge and education, finance and insurance, manufacturing and community.

3.
I’m proud to be the Mayor of a diverse
community that offers a high quality of life,
strong tradition of industry, entrepreneurship
and is internationally recognized in the
fields of research, science, technology and
innovation. We welcome and support new
ideas, businesses and relationships.
Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran
INSIDE COVER

5.
We are a dynamic, leading-edge community, fostering innovation and
preserving heritage. In Waterloo, you’ll find the best of both worlds – small
town hospitality and big city sophistication. Surrounded by green farmland,
our city is a modern, dynamic, internationally recognized community with
all the amenities of a big city including world class architectural buildings.
Located within Canada’s Technology Triangle, residents experience
the benefit of a smaller, well networked community, balanced with the
synergies of global recognition and international opportunity. Waterloo
is a modern, vigorous business and industrial community, yet small
enough to boast the best lifestyle, while close to all the amenities of larger
metropolitan areas. The Conference Board of Canada named Waterloo one
of the “Top 6” municipalities in Canada in its City Magnet II study on the
attractiveness of Canadian cities to migration (both within and outside of
Canada). Waterloo is also recognized as one of the world’s top 20 startup
ecosystems as compiled by Startup Genome and Telefonica Digital.
Companies locating here will find a highly skilled and well-trained labour
force. We have a diverse and expanding technology sector complemented
by a strong insurance and financial services sector, plus advanced
manufacturing and university-related enterprises. Waterloo ranks very
high in education, average hours worked, wage and salary rates,cost of
living, responsive city government and a strong manufacturing base.
We are a dynamic, leading-edge community,
fostering innovation and preserving heritage.
In Waterloo, you’ll find the best of both worlds
– small town hospitality and big city sophistication.
Waterloo Public Square

6.
Waterloo’s Economic Development Strategy is
built on input and wide community consultation.
Economic vitality is one of Waterloo’s top six strategic
imperatives and the City of Waterloo is committed to
building on our pillars of collaboration and innovation
with our community partners.
In 2011 the City of Waterloo established a corporate strategic plan through broad citizen
consultation. The purpose of the 2011-2014 strategic plan is to guide our direction,
with a focus on six key pillars:
• Sustainability and our living environment
• Public engagement
• Healthy and safe community
• Vibrant neighbourhoods
• Getting around
• Economic vitality
Under economic vitality, several strategic objectives have been identified:
• Be the location of choice for a young, educated labour force
• Enable and strengthen our learning institutions
• Continue to build the knowledge economy
• Act globally but think locally
Each of these objectives has additional action items. More information is available at:
http://www.waterloo.ca/en/government/strategicplan.asp
The City of Waterloo’s strategy is visionary, proactive, and delivers on the community’s
shared vision for Waterloo’s “North Star.”

7.
Our innovation ecosystem, our universities and research
institutions, our technological savvy – Waterloo’s
achievements and competitive advantages make it a
desirable community both locally and internationally.
As Mayor of the City of Waterloo, and chair emeritus of the Intelligent Community Forum,
Mayor Brenda Halloran is often a guest at conferences in China, India, Belgium,
New York City and Toronto, where she promotes Waterloo’s status as one of the
world’s most innovative and intelligent communities.
2011 – Chongqing International Garden Expo, China
2012 – Canada China Business Council Mayor’s Forum, China
2012 – Technopolicy Conference, Belgium
2012 – Tech Mahindra Conference, India
2013 – Smart Cities Canada Summit, Toronto
2013 – Canada China Investment Association Mayor’s Trade Mission, China
2013 – Intelligent Community Forum Annual Summit, New York City
Waterloo is seen as a leading model of an innovative community and we look forward to
sharing more of our success stories with our international friends.

8.
Companies in India and China are already working with us to develop
concrete win-win initiatives in the areas of:
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Science & technology
Innovation
Commercialization
Health & life sciences
Education and training
Trade and investment
Governance
Energy
Environment and health
These initiatives aim at bringing prosperity and competitiveness to these communities
in an increasingly globalized world. We look forward to building new relationships with
additional international companies and communities.
Chongqing delegates with Mayor Brenda Halloran at Waterloo City Centre, Waterloo ON
Mayor Brenda Halloran and John Jung, from Canada’s Tech Triangle, attending the 2012 Tech Mahindra conference in India

9.
WE ARE FINANCE
CITY OF WATERLOO
FINANCE & INSURANCE INDUSTRY
HISTORICALLY, FINANCE HAS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.
DURING THE 1950 AND 60’S, WATERLOO WAS KNOWN AS THE “HARTFORD OF THE NORTH”
WITH ITS CONCENTRATION OF PROMINENT INSURANCE COMPANIES.
Today’s insurance giants include Economical Insurance,
Equitable Life of Canada, Manulife Financial and
Sun Life Financial. Together, these and other insurance
companies employ about 7,500 people in our community, all
contributing to our moniker “Hartford of the North.”
The revitalization and success of our uptown core is due in
large part to major financial institutions setting up offices and
industries there. Today, there are over 400 businesses in the
core area including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), KPMG,
BMO, CIBC, RBC, TD Bank and other financial institutions
including HSBC that opened in 2011, among others.
The financial industry has also supported strong residential
and ICI sectors. Since 2005, there has been over $1.9 billion
in construction value generated in Waterloo, with $345
million of construction in the uptown core; $375 million of
construction in academic buildings and over $600 million of
construction in student housing accommodations. During the
last five years, there has been over 1.5 million square feet of
office space built in our community, including floor space in
the BlackBerry North Campus, the David Johnston Research
+ Technology Park and several office parks across the city.
Overall, Waterloo is a great place to do business.
The region consistently places high in economic
competitiveness rankings, and the Province of Ontario
was named the most competitive province in Canada,
largely due to the influence of global firms and global
talent – a great strength of the Waterloo community.

10.
• OVER 30,000 PEOPLE WORK IN THE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR
(WATERLOO REGION)
• ABOUT 7,500 PEOPLE WORK IN THE LOCAL INSURANCE INDUSTRY
• DURING THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN OVER 1,500
HOUSING UNITS APPROVED AND BUILT IN THE UPTOWN CORE
WITH MORE ON THE WAY…
• WITH THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF OFFICE SPACE (5.3M SF)
AND A VACANCY RATE OF 2.7%, WATERLOO IS IN HIGH DEMAND
400
BUSINESSES
In the core area.
375
MILLION
345
In construction in
academic buildings.
MILLION
In construction in
the uptown core.
1.5
MILLION
600
MILLION
In construction in
student housing.
square feet of
office space built.
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11.
WE ARE TECHNOLOGY
OUR GROWING TECH COMMUNITY AND THE BIRTH OF
THE “SMARTPHONE”—THE BLACKBERRY
THE CITY OF WATERLOO IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED FOR ITS TECHNOLOGY SECTOR, WHICH
INCLUDES A BROAD RANGE OF COMPANIES AND STARTUPS THAT ARE REDEFINING OUR
ECONOMY ON A LOCAL, PROVINCIAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCALE.
Without question, the technology sector is the fastest
growing sector in our community.
Today, there are over 30,000 technology professionals
working in Waterloo Region, with over 50 per cent of the
technology firms located in our city!
The technology sector is anchored by strong companies
such as BlackBerry, OpenText, Descartes, Sybase, McAfee
Inc., Cisco and many new companies emerging from the
Accelerator Centre and startup investment funds.
Of note, the City of Waterloo was named the world’s most
intelligent community in 2007 and was recently ranked one
of the top 20 startup ecosystems in the world.
Mike Lazaridis, Chris Shaw and Doug Fregin (L-R). circa 1984
“Budgie” Project Team (would later develop into “BlackBerry”)
The City of Waterloo works closely with many organizations,
including Canada’s Technology Triangle, the Accelerator
Centre, the University of Waterloo, Waterloo Region Small
Business Centre, the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce
and many local businesses.
University of Waterloo student in Waterloo Public Square using
BlackBerry smartphone. 2011

12.
• MAGNET FORENSICS HAVE OVER 1,000 CUSTOMERS
INCLUDING THE OPP AND SCOTLAND YARD
• STARTED IN 2009, OVER 40 MILLION PEOPLE USE
KIK INTERACTIVE MESSAGING SERVICE
• OVER 80% OF ACCELERATOR CENTRE GRADUATES REMAIN
IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND 100% REMAIN IN ONTARIO
70
PERCENT
of the world’s GDP
runs on Waterloo
software
30
THOUSAND
Technology professionals
in Waterloo region.
50
LARGEST
IN CANADA
Enterprise content
management software
company is OpenText.
PERCENT
of tech business
in region located
in Waterloo
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wearewaterloo.ca

13.
WE ARE COMMUNITY
WATERLOO IS COMMUNITY, PARKS, LIFESTYLE,
EVENTS, CULTURE AND THE ARTS...
WATERLOO IS A DYNAMIC, LEADING-EDGE COMMUNITY, FOSTERING INNOVATION AND
PRESERVING HERITAGE. IN WATERLOO, YOU’LL FIND THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
– SMALL TOWN HOSPITALITY AND BIG CITY SOPHISTICATION.
Today, the City of Waterloo is a diverse community that
has been defined by its industrial heritage, its strong
manufacturing base, its prominent insurance industry,
its award winning academic institutions, expanding tech
sector and urbanizing neighbourhoods.
By 2031, our population is planned to reach over 150,000
people, a 15 per cent increase in population growth.
Much of this new growth will be accommodated in several
planned neighbourhoods, and over time, more urban
living accommodations ranging in scale from executive
townhomes to urban towers.
For the recreation and leisure enthusiast, Waterloo offers
plenty. You can enjoy over 1,700 acres of parkland and over
150 kilometres of trails throughout the city, or experience
Waterloo’s many recreational facilities, including RIM Park,
Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, Waterloo Park or
Bechtel Park, premier sports fields, Olympic-size ice pads,
swimming facilities, golf courses and an urban zoo
- the possibilities are endless.
The City of Waterloo is a strong, educated and accepting
community that is well positioned to attract, retain and
expand talent in our community.
We value culture and we are home to world class cultural
facilities such as the Clay and Glass art gallery. In 2009,
we opened the Waterloo Public Square in the uptown which
hosts many cultural events including the Sun Life Financial
Waterloo Buskers Carnival, Winterloo and many other
festivals. In 2013, city council approved plans to enhance
Waterloo Park, our largest and oldest park space.
Residents and visitors enjoy many restaurants, shops and
services particularly in the uptown, at Conestoga Mall and
in the evolving Boardwalk centre.
Sun Life Financial UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival

14.
• TODAY, 130,000 POPULATION WITH 45,000 STUDENTS
• 15% POPULATION GROWTH OVER LAST 10 YEARS
• 15% POPULATION GROWTH TO 2031
• OVER 400 BUSINESSES IN THE UPTOWN CORE
40
22
PERCENT
PERCENT
of adult population have
a University degree. One of
the highest in Canada.
Diverse population
born outside of Canada.
1700
ACRES
of park land in
Waterloo.
30
MINUTES
from Waterloo
International Airport.
150
KILOMETERS
of public trails in
Waterloo area.
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wearewaterloo.ca

15.
WE ARE OPPORTUNITIES
HOME TO GLOBAL THINK-TANKS,
START-UP INCUBATORS AND “QUANTUM VALLEY”
THE QUANTUM-NANO CENTRE REPRESENTS A $160-MILLION INVESTMENT IN THE CUTTING
EDGE OF QUANTUM COMPUTING AND NANOTECHNOLOGY. LOCATED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
WATERLOO, THE QNC BOLSTERS THE UNIVERSITY’S LONG TRADITION OF INNOVATION.
The City of Waterloo presents many investment
opportunities – opportunities to invest in local startup
companies, opportunities to invest in the real estate and housing
market, to purchase or build new businesses in business
parks or in university research parks, and to work with others
particularly in the area of research and quantum physics
– a significant growth industry that will change the world!
There are many opportunities in Waterloo – we
encourage you to contact us so we can work together.
Over the next several years, there will be new investment
opportunities for land development along the planned rapid
transit route opening in 2017, and in new business park
lands owned by the city and other private land holdings.
City council recently approved a new brownfield policy
including a tax increment grant program that will encourage
the redevelopment and intensification of underutilized lands
and buildings around Waterloo.
There are several economic clusters in the city that are being
driven by emerging employment centres and local startup
companies such as DOTZ engaged, the Waterloo Corporate
Campus (former NCR Lands), a state-of-the-art medical
facility located in the Boardwalk centre and a long-term
care and research facility at the Schlegel Learning Research
Innovation Centre being developed on the University of
Waterloo’s north campus.
Two students at the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics,
Steven Hawking wing.

16.
• IN 2013, MIKE LAZARIDIS AND DOUG FREGIN ANNOUNCED A
$100 MILLION QUANTUM VALLEY INVESTMENT FUND
• THE CITY OF WATERLOO HAS 150 ACRES OF VACANT LANDS
THAT ARE BEING PLANNED FOR HIGH END BUSINESS PARK USERS
• THE BOARDWALK IS A MASTER PLANNED AREA FOR OVER
200,000 SQUARE FEET OF QUALITY OFFICE SPACE WITH THE
FIRST 80,000 SF MEDICAL BUILDING TO OPEN IN 2013
1.5
MILLION
sq. ft. of office space
constructed in 5 years.
150
ACRES
vacant land planned for
high-end business parks.
2013
OPENING
200,000 sq.ft of office space,
first 80,000 sq.ft medical
building at “The Boardwalk.”
(a commercial development)
800
THOUSAND
sq. ft. commercial centre developing
near rapid transit station.
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17.
WE ARE MANUFACTURING
WATERLOO BOASTS A MULTI-FACETED WORKFORCE
WITH IT’S MANUFACTURING INNOVATION NETWORK
WATERLOO IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS STRONG MANUFACTURING BASE DATING BACK TO THE
EARLY 1800’S. FOOD PRODUCTION WAS A MAINSTAY OF THE MENNONITE PIONEERS THAT
PAVED THE WAY FOR LOCAL FIRMS SUCH AS PILLER’S, MARTIN’S FAMILY FRUIT FARM AND
MANY OTHERS.
The University of Waterloo has also played an important
role in the local manufacturing sector, including the
Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research as one of
Canada’s premier automotive research centres linked to
the broader regional and global economy.
There are also many technology firms linked to the
manufacturing sector including BlackBerry - prototype
manufacturing facilities are located in Waterloo. Other
technology related manufacturing companies include
Raytheon Canada Ltd., Teledyne DALSA and Virtek Vision
International Inc.
The City of Waterloo, and its businesses, are also associated
with the Waterloo Region Manufacturing Innovation Network.
This is an online resource that helps businesses self-promote
and connect with other local suppliers and employees.
Manufacturing is alive and well in our city and we will
continue to support this industry to remain competitive
locally, nationally and internationally.
Waterloo North Business Park, Viessmann Building

18.
• THE NORTHLAND BUSINESS PARK HAS OVER 3.5 MILLION SF
OF INDUSTRIAL SPACE
• DURING THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN ABOUT
$500 MILLION IN INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION VALUE
BUILT ACROSS THE CITY
• WATERLOO REGION IS CANADA’S SECOND MOST
MANUFACTURING INTENSIVE ECONOMY WITH
20% BUSINESSES IN MANUFACTURING
18
PERCENT
of our workforce
in 2011was in
manufacturing.
265
THOUSAND
sq. ft. of production space in Waterloo belongs
to Fischer Canada, a world leading producer of
superior quality stainless steel tubing.
50
PLACES
CAMERAS
produced by Waterloo company
Teledyne DALSA, equip NASA’s Curiosity Rover.
Waterloo ranks in
the Top 50 Places
to live in Canada.
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19.
WE ARE KNOWLEDGE & EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
QUANTUM-NANO CENTRE (QNC)
WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT AWARD WINNING INSTITUTIONS LOCATED
IN OUR CITY, INCLUDING THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO, WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY
AND CONESTOGA COLLEGE AND OVER 150 RESEARCH INSTITUTES.
Of note, the University of Waterloo is consistently ranked
as Canada’s most innovative university and has the first,
and largest, co-op education program in the world!
Wilfrid Laurier, a leading Canadian university with offices in
Chongqing PRC., has a particular expertise in business, an
important tradition in our community. Laurier will soon open
its new Global Innovation Exchange to meet the growing
local and global demand for business and math leadership.
Conestoga College is recognized as a top college in the
province (accredited poly-technical university), and has a
campus in Waterloo. Almost half of the regional population
has participated in training and education activities at
Conestoga.
All three institutions have a significant impact on the local,
provincial and national economy and are at the forefront in
the creation of new industries including Quantum computing
– perhaps one of the most significant breakthroughs of our
time. In 2013, BlackBerry co-founders Mike Lazaridis and
Doug Fregin launched the “Quantum Valley Fund”,
a $100 million private fund to advance the development
of breakthroughs in quantum information science.
Waterloo has many research institutions that have a
significant local, national and international impact.
For example, the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics
was founded in 1999, and over a short time, has doubled in
size with the Stephen Hawking Centre to become the world’s
largest institute of theoretical physics. There are many other
research institutes, including the Centre for International
Governance Innovation Campus with the Balsillie School
of International Affairs and the Academic Council of the
United Nations, the Waterloo Institute for Nano Technology
and many more. In fact, with the Perimeter Institute
for Theoretical Physics, the Stephen Hawking Centre,
the Institute for Quantum Computing and the Lazaridis
Quantum Nano Centre, we are achieving a new 21st century
reputation as “Quantum Valley.”
There is tremendous potential and opportunity in the
City of Waterloo.

20.
• UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO HAS A UNIQUE INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY POLICY THAT ALLOWS THE ORIGINATOR OR
SPONSOR TO OWN THE RESEARCH – NOT THE INSTITUTION
• 22% OF ALL UNIVERSITY SPIN-OFF COMPANIES IN CANADA
LAUNCHED FROM RESEARCH INITIATED AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
• CANADA RANKED FIRST IN CITATION IMPACT IN PHYSICS
AMONG G8 COUNTRIES IN 2010; WITHOUT PERIMETER
INSTITUTE, IT WOULD HAVE RANKED FOURTH
1999
2007
PERIMETER INSTITUTE
WINNER
of Theoretical Physics was founded, it has
doubled in size with the Stephen Hawking
Centre as the world’s largest institute of
theoretical physics.
Most Intelligent Community
in the World.
12
QUBIT
quantum computer, the largest in the world is
located at the University of Waterloo, Mike and
Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum Nano Centre.
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_knowledge & education
wearewaterloo.ca